Today, users of mobile electronic devices, such as digital media players or mobile phones, can often purchase digital media assets, such as songs, movies or ringtones. Once purchased, the songs, movies or ringtones need to be distributed to the mobile electronic devices. Although distribution could be by physical delivery of a compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) or memory card, it is common for distribution to be electronic via a network (e.g., the Internet). Distribution of a digital media asset can conventionally be done by downloading a file for the digital media asset to the mobile electronic device. Once downloaded, the digital media asset is stored on the mobile electronic device and available for playback from the mobile electronic device. A digital rights management system can be used to restrict transferability or usage of the digital media assets to other electronic devices. Distribution of digital media assets can also conventionally be done by streaming digital data for a digital media asset to the mobile electronic device and playing the incoming digital data stream at the mobile electronic device. Unfortunately, however, digital media assets tend to be sizable and therefore consume significant network bandwidth and/or time to complete their electronic distribution.
In purchasing digital media assets, a user can make use of a pre-paid gift card that represents a cash value for use at a particular online or physical (brick-and-mortar) store. For example, with an online media store, the gift card can be redeemed for store credit which can then be used to purchase digital media assets. Conventional gift cards are thus not associated with particular electronic devices. As a result, it can be burdensome and time consuming for users to use gift cards to provide digital media assets onto particular electronic devices. Also, gift givers are not able to ensure that the gift cards are used to provide digital media assets to particular electronic devices.